Objective

Our Guest Researcher Programme originated when PTB researchers expressed interest in inviting their peers from other metrology organisations.

Acting on their wish, we set up the PTB Guest Researcher Programme, whose aim is to facilitate collaboration between metrologists from all over the world.

Guest researcher stays at PTB are designed to yield new and deeper scientific insight into current metrology issues or a new or improved national standard or method.

What are your benefits?

Working temporarily at PTB can entail many advantages for you:

• It will provide you with a platform to learn and develop as a metrologist and may boost your career
• You will work on a challenging and exciting project at a renowned NMI
• Contact to your international peers often lasts a lifetime
• Your home institution will benefit from your research results as well as from a good relationship with your host at PTB
• You will have the opportunity to learn more about Germany
• You will gain both professional and intercultural experience

Eligibility and sponsoring

PTB’s Guest Researcher Programme is open to scientists and engineers from NMIs* and DIs** or from other scientific or technological institutions working in the area of metrology, e.g. universities.

A guest researcher must be an employee of one of the institution types listed above. The home institution must be willing to continue paying the researcher’s salary during their stay at PTB.

PTB pays a mobility allowance of 1600 euros per month, which is adequate for accommodation, food and local travel in Germany. It is expected that travel to and from Germany will be covered by the home institution.

Ideally, a guest researcher should stay between three and six months, the minimum should be one month.

Guest researchers must be proficient in either English or German.

*National Metrology Institute
**Designated Institute

Have we caught your interest?

Then go ahead – apply for a PTB guest researcher grant! The application process is straightforward and unbureaucratic.

• First, contact the head of the laboratory or division at PTB you are interested in working together with. https://www.ptb.de/cms/en/about-us-careers/ptb-institutional-documents/ptbs-organization-chart.html
• Identify together with your contact at PTB a topic of joint interest and draft a project idea. This idea should mention the title, a short description and the envisaged duration of the project.
• Confirm that your home institution will not only financially support your stay at PTB but is also generally interested in increasing your expertise.

Your contact at PTB will then initiate and carry out the internal application and approval procedure.

Important annual deadlines

1 September: call for applications

1 October: your contact at PTB must have your finalised proposal

End of December: decision on your proposal

Once you are accepted, your host will support you in preparing your stay at PTB, including communicating with PTB administration and searching for an apartment.